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18 June 2015

News: Global Trends 2014 Report Released

In the lead-up to World Refugee Day on June 20, UNHCR has released the 2014 edition of its Global Trends report. Subtitled "World at War," the report "shows a sharp escalation in the number of people forced to flee their homes, with 59.5 million people forcibly displaced at the end of 2014 compared to 51.2 million a year earlier and 37.5 million a decade ago. The increase since 2013 was the highest ever seen in a single year."

Where is the displacement occurring?
"In the past five years, at least 15 conflicts have erupted or reignited: Eight in Africa (Côte d'Ivoire, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, northeastern Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and this year in Burundi); three in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq, and Yemen); one in Europe (Ukraine) and three in Asia (Kyrgyzstan, and in several areas of Myanmar and Pakistan)."

Who is being displaced?
"Syria is the world's biggest producer of both internally displaced people (7.6 million) and refugees (3.88 million at the end of 2014). Afghanistan (2.59 million) and Somalia (1.1 million) are the next biggest refugee source countries." ..."Alarmingly, over half the world's refugees are children."

Which countries receive the most refugees?
"For the first time, Turkey became the largest
refugee-hosting country worldwide,
with 1.59 million refugees. Turkey was followed
by Pakistan (1.51 million), Lebanon (1.15 million),
the Islamic Republic of Iran (982,000), Ethiopia
(659,500), and Jordan (654,100). ...Developing regions hosted 86 per cent
of the world’s refugees – at 12.4 million
persons, the highest value in more than two
decades. The Least Developed Countries
provided asylum to 3.6 million refugees or
25 per cent of the global total."